


One for the Team

by eldee



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Barebacking, First Time Together, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, Soul Bond, Werewolf Mates, mentions of canon-compliant deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-30
Updated: 2013-09-30
Packaged: 2017-12-27 01:22:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/972676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eldee/pseuds/eldee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott has newly become a True Alpha and needs a mate, and the Hale pack needs an alliance.  An arrangement is agreed upon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One for the Team

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT: _A single werewolf in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a mate. (A 'mating' of convenience, no previous feelings.)_
> 
> CANON AU: Season 1 happened the way it did but events changed after that -- Isaac ran away from Beacon Hills, Derek and Peter (resurrected quicker/before all the kanima business happened) left town with Erica and Boyd, Isaac became part of the pack a little later.
> 
> THANK YOU: so much to [asocialfauxpas](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzytomato/pseuds/asocialfauxpas) and [Venivincere](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Venivincere/pseuds/Venivincere) for all the cheerleading and beta help! <3

Isaac paced in front of the large windows while he waited for Derek to return. Derek had got the loft for the pack when they returned to Beacon Hills for the turf war. That fight for territory was a couple weeks over with now, but they were still there, but they weren't going to be leaving again. Not if the plan went through.

"Would you just stop?" Cora sniped at Isaac as he made his seventh pass near where she was sitting at the steel table that served as a desk.

"No, no I can't," Isaac shot back at her. She rolled her eyes.

As far as places he'd holed up in before, the loft was really spacious, though a bit on the grungy side of things. Isaac had stayed in much worse before; while in the pack, but also before they found him and brought him into the fold, when he was nothing but a street rat just trying to survive. While it had been years since he'd lived in Beacon Hills and it was weird to be back, he didn't mind the loft that much. 

It still didn't feel like a home but Isaac hadn't felt like he'd had one in a very long time. That sense of comfort and security tied to a _place_ was gone even before he'd run away in sophomore year, long before he'd been bitten. Since becoming a werewolf, home was with Derek Hale and wherever their nomadic pack happened to go. 

Lately, even that felt like it was falling apart. Having a place to stay in a town they were actually allowed to live in again didn't exactly make up for all they'd just gone through, for all that they'd lost to get what they had gained.

But it was nice, though, Isaac had to admit. To consider the fact that they might stay in one place for more than a couple months. Stay somewhere permanently. He didn't know if any of the Hales were built for that, given they'd been on the move for so long, but Isaac really wanted to give it a try. Give it a chance. He might've found a way, for all of them.

"This is getting really annoying," Cora said flatly, eyes tracking Isaac as he continued to pace. Old, worn books lay spread out across the desk in front of her, most in another language with little post-it notes sticking out with translations.

"You could go somewhere else if it bothers you," he said to her, not rising to the bait of getting into an argument. Though maybe he should. It'd be a distraction. Instead, he turned on his heel and went to the other end of the common area to begin his pacing again.

Cora replaced him in front of the large windows. She stared outside, over the rooftops and to the park a couple blocks away. Isaac half suspected Derek chose this loft for those windows. For Cora, who did not like closed in spaces anymore than Isaac did.

"He's nervous," Peter said from where he was seated on the rickety spiral staircase. "How sweet."

Isaac paused and made a face at him. "Shut up, I am not." He ran his hand through his hair, but knew he had to stop or the teasing would continue, so instead he cocked his hip and leaned against the doorframe that led into the kitchen.

"You shouldn't be nervous," Cora said. "You should feel …"

"Honored?" Peter supplied. "Touched? Hopeful? No wait, I know -- turned on."

"Offended," Cora said.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Are we going to get another lecture about the irrelevancy of our long-honored traditions?"

"It's the 21st Century," Cora said. "Arranged marriages went out of style, oh I don't know, _centuries ago_."

"They still exist in many cultures," Peter said. "Including ours. Besides, it's not an actual marriage. Not by today's standards."

"It's worse," Cora said flatly. "It's a _bond_. It's being a _mate_. Could we be a little more clichéd? That sort of thing doesn't matter anymore, it went the way of arranged marriages."

"Which means that, yes, it still happens. Less frequently, but not entirely gone into the ether either."

"Could you both just shut up?" Isaac asked. The Hales -- these two in particular -- were starting to drive him crazy. For a long time being in the Hale pack meant, well, Derek and his betas. Peter had come and gone a lot during the last four years, not really there and just making a few random appearances from time to time. But then Cora had been found, rescued from the vault, and they'd launched the plan to take Beacon Hills back from Deucalion, and Peter was more of a presence lately. It was annoying.

Isaac missed Boyd and Erica. To him, they'd been his pack. Them and Derek. It had all changed the last couple months, and would never be the same. Could never.

The changes were not done yet. But he was going to do what he could for his pack.

"Derek is out there right now," Cora said, obviously not willing to let her arguments fall. "Having a meeting. To negotiate the bounty on Isaac's booty."

"Oh my god," Isaac muttered, rolling his eyes. "That's not… that's not it."

It was sort of it. She just made it sound so crass.

"A dowry. A _dowry_ ," Cora stressed.

Peter shook his head. "You're twisting the meaning of the terms."

Cora stalked back to the desk and pulled one of the books over to her, flipping to the page marked by a purple sticky note. She quoted loudly, " _A single werewolf in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a mate_." She paused. "Wait, isn't that from a movie or something?"

"Youth these days," Peter said, sounding wounded that she didn't know from exactly where. "Stolen from the werewolves. You'd be surprised how many things are."

"What's surprising," Isaac says, unable to keep himself out of the Hale bickering, "is that there's suddenly all these rules and codes and traditions. None of this really came up before."

"We weren't in our own territory before. We didn't have an emissary to rely on to guide us. And Derek was a new alpha who… lacked proper education," Peter said in that diplomatic way that meant he had much different thoughts on the matter.

" _You_ always seem to know a lot more than you let on," Isaac said.

"Doesn't everybody?" Peter asked blandly.

"I still think it's antiquated," Cora said. "Besides, you don't have a good fortune, and what the hell does that kid have? I've seen the dirt bike he owns."

"I like it," Isaac said with a shrug.

"And now it'll be half yours. How wonderful," Cora said sarcastically.

"Not actually getting married," Isaac reminded her. "And, like you said, it's the 21st century. The world is in recession and the definition of a fortune is negotiable."

"You're quoting Deaton," Cora accused.

Isaac grinned slyly. "Maybe a little. But it's still true, so this can still work out, fortunes or not."

"You're actually really calm about this. Nervous maybe, but calm," Cora said, putting her hands on the table to lean on. "What the hell is really going on?"

"It's for a pack alliance, remember?" Isaac said. "After everything that happened… I'm doing it for the pack." 

She narrowed her eyes shrewdly. " _Are_ you getting a fortune for this?"

"If you ask me," Peter said, even though no one did because they all knew it was better not to, "Scott McCall's good fortune is the fact he's newly a true alpha. Lucky him." He turned a steely gaze to Isaac. "It's not _just_ a pack alliance, is it? That's the angle you're all playing at but it's not everything. There's another reason their side is so willing to agree. And that you are."

"What?" Cora asked. "Derek said it's a pack thing."

"Oh, it is," Peter agreed, nodding. "Technically, Scott was an omega for a long time, but he built that little rag tag pack of humans, didn't he?"

"His pack of humans helped us kick Deucalion's ass," Isaac said, feeling surprisingly defensive over them. And he wasn't even bonded yet. Great.

"So they did, and now we must share this territory with them. An allegiance is better than a truce. That was Deucalion's mistake when it came to Scott McCall. The thing is, true alphas have to play by a different set of rules. Rare ones barely used anymore."

"Like having a mate bond?" Cora asked, realization sinking in.

"Bravo, dear niece," Peter said. "You would've come up with that sooner if you actually read through the whole book rather than just the pretty post-it notes. But, yes, I do believe it's essential to him now, to keep his strength."

Cora ignored those comments, and gave Isaac a serious look. "Let Scott find his own mate. You don't owe him anything."

"He's part of the reason we're back in Beacon Hills."

"Part of," Cora stressed. "We all fought alongside one another. We all earned this. Why are you giving up something?"

"I'm not giving up anything," Isaac said.

Cora muttered, "Just your booty."

"What you should be asking," Peter said, "is what he's gaining? Why, as you pointed out, he's acting so calm about this. It's not an actual fortune, and it's not even a dirt bike. _And_ ," Peter stressed, cutting Isaac off before he could even open his mouth to protest, "it's more than just an allegiance, because we certainly could've worked it out another way."

Cora looked conflicted about agreeing with her uncle, but something he said must have resonated with her because she turned to Isaac, curiosity crossing her features. "Do you get anything else out of it?"

Isaac stayed quiet for a moment, but then carefully said, "A bond gains strength."

"You mean, our pack is stronger with an alliance with theirs?" Cora asked. "Well, yeah, but you don't need to go through some sort of ritual for that to happen. It's called politics and diplomacy."

"Ha," Isaac said, rolling his eyes. "Because our pack is so great with that. Some magic might actually help us."

"That's not what he meant, though," Peter said. "It's not just because of the packs. He's doing it for himself, too."

"I'm doing it for everyone," Isaac snapped at him, bristling at being cornered.

"'A bond gains strength'," Peter quoted in a slow, steady tone. Isaac huffed; he knew that Peter knew exactly what that meant. Peter smirked and continued, "Scott gets additional strength by being mated, but Isaac will be able to syphon some. He'll heal faster, be stronger, have less vulnerability. Hell, with those perks, I should've offered myself up to be his mate."

Isaac snorted. "I heard he helped kill you once."

"Who hasn't?" Peter said dismissively.

"This is about power?" Cora asked Isaac. "Seriously? You don't need to get stronger." Her determination to argue was both admirable and annoying. "Mated or not, you're still a part of this pack. Derek said you would stay part of it. We have strength together, you don't have to go anywhere else for it."

"Look around, Cora," Isaac said. "One thing here isn't like the others."

"What's the supposed to mean?"

"I mean, I'm not a born werewolf. I'm not blood family. You all have more strength together, but…" Isaac shifted uncomfortably and looked at his feet. "Look what happened to Erica and Boyd." 

Derek didn't want that happening to Isaac too, and to be frank, Isaac didn't want it either. It was the thing that convinced him that, yeah, he could be mated with some guy he barely knew in high school and had only recently met up with a couple times as an adult.

He'd long learned that being a werewolf meant living by a different set of rules, thinking outside the box. And out of all the things that had happened, or could happen, being bonded to Scott McCall didn't seem all that bad. Isaac could deal. It would be good for Scott, for Isaac, and the pack would be able to stay in Beacon Hills. Win-win all around.

Cora looked shocked. "That's not … we wouldn't let it happen to you. Besides, Deucalion's gone. The threat is gone."

Isaac looked up, looked right at Peter. "Allegiances are stronger than truces."

"Deucalion may be defeated and banished but he's still alive. And he knows a lot of werewolves," Peter said. "The threat is never gone."

Isaac nodded. Words too true in their kind of life.

The red light bulb on the wall started flashing, and the three of them jumped up into a defensive stance. It was a habit they'd all formed during the turf war, but of course when the large doors to the loft opened, it was Derek who stood there. He glanced at their claws, unconcerned, and then turned to Isaac.

"It's settled. Ritual is on Saturday."

Isaac exhaled a deep breath. It suddenly seemed a lot more real now than it had minutes before.

"Congratulations," Peter said, sounding entirely too happy. "Our new little pack's first werewolf marriage."

Cora snorted, Derek pinched the bridge of his nose, and Isaac felt that leaning back against the doorframe was absolutely one-hundred percent necessary in that moment.

 

**

 

The thing that Isaac appreciated about Derek on Saturday morning wasn't the fact that he made Peter and Cora stay at the loft even though they wanted to come to Deaton's too, or the fact that he had carefully gone over everything that he and Scott had worked out.

Rather, it was that Derek didn't say a damn thing about the smell of lavender that filled the car.

Isaac, however, couldn't leave it alone.

He let his head fall back against the headrest. "I can't believe I have to smell like this."

"It's more about purifying your soul," Derek said, flicking on the turn signal. "Less about scent."

Isaac lifted his arm to his nose and sniffed, not that that was necessary because he could smell it just fine, but it was more to prove a point. "If Scott doesn't smell like a flower too then this entire ritual is bunk. Seriously."

"He'll have to smell like a flower too."

Isaac side-eyed him. "You say that so casually."

Derek shrugged. "It's a ritual. There's always pre-bathing in an essence of some sort of flower or plant or something."

"Our lives are weird," Isaac said. Derek didn't respond, but maybe he didn't think that was so weird. He'd been raised with the supernatural, after all. For Isaac it'd only been a few years of it and he was still getting used to some of the stuff they came up against.

When they pulled into the parking lot to the veterinarian clinic, he saw Stiles' refurbished blue Jeep but Scott's old dirt bike wasn't anywhere in sight. But when Isaac got out of Derek's car, he could smell a faint trace of essence of lavender on the air; it both calmed his nerves that Scott was already there, but also forced him to really face what was about to happen.

"Oh good," Scott greeted when Isaac and Derek went inside, "you smell too."

Isaac couldn't help but grin at him. "Pre-ritual purified, or whatever."

"Oh my god," Stiles said, rolling his eyes. "Stop acting like it's the end of the world, it was just a bit of bath oil. Necessary bath oil." He paused for a moment, and looked at Deaton with narrowed eyes. "Right? Or are you just messing with all of us?"

"Yes, it was necessary," Deaton said, bemused, and Stiles nodded proudly. From what Isaac understood, Stiles -- who had started on at the Beacon Hills High School last fall teaching English -- had also started training as Scott's emissary around the same time. But being a first year teacher and then dealing with a crazy alpha who wanted to turn the town upside down hadn't allowed all that much time for training. He was making up for it this summer and was apparently using Scott and Isaac's ritual as a main starting point.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Derek asked, looking at Stiles skeptically. "If you turn Isaac into a cat or something--"

"Please don't," Isaac said.

"No, I'm not going -- both of you shut up," Stiles snapped at them as Derek and Isaac exchanged amused looks.

"He's good," Scott said firmly, patting Stiles on the arm. Isaac could physically see the confidence build back up in Stiles, the way he pulled back his shoulders and smirked at Derek.

"Yeah, it's really great you're back in town and all," Stiles drawled in Derek's direction, sounding every bit the sarcastic brat Isaac remembered from high school, "but pay attention, I'm busy being important here."

"They were always like this," Scott said to Isaac, which actually wasn't the first time he'd pointed it out. Isaac had noticed it before too, when they first got into town and were trying to somehow align the two packs to defeat Deucalion. There was some sort of past there between the three of them -- four, counting Peter -- from before Derek and Peter were expelled from their territory by Deucalion. It'd eased after a few weeks, but Stiles was Stiles and seemed to act that way with everyone, even if the underlying hostility towards the Hales had disappeared.

"I punched Derek in the face once," Stiles said, deadpanned. "It was awesome."

Isaac burst out laughing, though quickly reined it in with a bite to his lower lip. Glancing over, he saw Scott openly grinning and Stiles gave the two of them a self-satisfied look.

A quick pang jolted through Isaac; it reminded him a lot of when he, Erica and Boyd used to get on Derek's case, just to see that exasperated smile that he tried to hide. Now, it flickered there for a second before Derek caught himself, and Isaac could tell he was thinking the same thing. It quickly dropped away.

"I guess we should get started," Derek said to Deaton. That made everyone look serious, really fast.

"We should," Deaton said, nodding. "We don't want the lavender to wear off, or they'll have to soak in it again."

"Yeah, that'd be just fantastic," Isaac said under his breath, but shut his mouth when Derek glared at him.

Derek, Stiles, and Deaton stood on one side of the table, and Isaac and Scott stood next to each other on the other. Their arms brushed against each other for a second, but then Isaac leaned down to brace his elbows on the tabletop to peer at the book Stiles was poring over. It had familiar purple post-it notes sticking out of the corners.

"Nice," Isaac said, fingertips brushing one.

"Lydia," Stiles said absently, then stood up straight, nearly clocking Isaac in the head as he did. "Okay, so you're both sure about this? _Really_ , really sure?"

"Yup," Isaac answered, standing up.

"Wow," Stiles said. "Stellar commitment."

"He's sure," Derek said, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding.

"How do you know?" Stiles retorted immediately.

"Because he said so." Stiles did not look convinced and Derek huffed. "Because I heard his heartbeat," Derek said, with a _'why are you even asking me this?'_ wave of his hand.

Stiles pulled a face and didn't respond to that obviousness. "Scott? You still good?" He looked intently at Scott, and Isaac wondered if he'd previously played the same part as Cora, trying to talk Scott out of it as she had for Isaac.

Scott touched Isaac's elbow. "Yup, still good."

"Okay then," Deaton said, pulling a couple of vials off a shelf. "Stiles will be leading the ritual, although I will be placing the final incantation due to having more experience with that final binding."

"Lydia's still teaching me Latin," Stiles said.

"Done this a lot?" Isaac asked Deaton.

"Once," Deaton said.

"Which is once more than me, so hey, totally experienced player on the field here," Stiles said. "Alright, so, you guys need to clasp hands -- no, not turning toward each other, it's not a marriage ceremony, I thought we made that clear. Here, like this, like this." Stiles grabbed Isaac's right hand and Scott's left one, so they were still standing shoulder to shoulder, but one set of hands linked together in front of them.

"Awesome start," Derek said.

"Shut up, Hale," Stiles muttered. "I'm busy here."

It went much more smoothly after that, and not nearly as long as Isaac had imagined it would take to link two souls together. Stiles sprinkled some powder over their heads, which wasn't harmful to werewolves but made both Isaac and Scott sneeze anyway. There was a basin full of water that smelled like lavender but then filled the air with something warm and spicy when Isaac and Scott each added a drop of their own blood.

Their linked hands were wrapped in a strip of cotton gauze that had been soaked in something previously. This was when Deaton said the incantation in Latin while sprinkling more of the powder over their hands and the gauze, and then instructed them to put their joined hands into the basin.

As soon as they did, each of them jolted toward the other, shoulders banging, while they each gasped. Isaac could feel it, bright like a spark ignition and immediate, a warmth that tethered the two of them. His eyes searched the air as if he could find it, see that invisible connection, but then he met Scott's gaze. Scott stared back with amazement and wonder, as if Isaac was the best thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Isaac knew he mirrored the expression.

"Well, that certainly worked," Stiles said. He clapped his hands together twice, and Isaac shook his head, snapping out of the daze the bond had left him in. He could still feel it, pulsing through his body and starting to take hold with each beat of his heart.

"So," Stiles said. "This is when you two leave our presence as quickly as werewolfy possible so you can go and" -- his hands gestured through the air in a shooing sort of way -- "do your thing. That none of us ever want to see. Ever."

"Ever," Derek added unnecessarily, looking pained.

"We don't even have to, like, kiss yet?" Scott said uncertainly. He shifted closer to Isaac, and Isaac could feel the way the bond between them was tugging, wanting them to press together.

"Whoa, whoa," Stiles said quickly, leaning over the table, nearly spilling the basin as he put his hands between them to push them apart. "No. No, not yet. Not here."

"Once you start, you won't want to stop," Deaton said, surprisingly calm about it, as if he talked about mating werewolves all the time. "Not until you've cemented the bond. You can wait a little longer until you get somewhere more private."

"Somewhere not here," Stiles said. "Also, I'm not giving you a ride because neither of you are cementing anything in my Jeep."

Derek rolled his eyes. "I'll drop you off at Scott's."

They thanked Deaton and Stiles, and hurried out of the clinic. Isaac was jittery and anxious, but in a good way. He knew it was just because of the ritual, the fledgling bond, the need to make it more and make it stay. But it wasn't too weird, because he could tell Scott felt the same way. They were in this together, for something good, so it was okay.

"Oh no you don't," Derek said, grabbing Isaac by the scruff of the neck. When Scott had climbed into the backseat of his car, Isaac had, without even thinking about it, automatically tried to follow. "You're not cementing in my car either. Shut up, Stiles," he added loudly when they heard Stiles laughing from where he was getting into the Jeep.

"Sorry," Isaac said, not sounding sorry at all. But he sat in the front, and Scott slid over so that he was sitting right behind, chin resting on the back of the seat. If Derek noticed that Scott reached around to put his hand on Isaac's side with the need to just touch, which made Isaac feel a lot calmer, he was gracious enough not to say anything. 

 

**

 

"So, this is it," Scott said, opening the door to his house and leading Isaac inside after Derek left. "We can pick up the rest of your stuff from Derek's tomorrow if you want."

"I don't really have anything else," Isaac said offhand, stepping in the door of the McCall house. "This is… nice." He hadn't seen it during the turf war; any meetings that the two packs had taken place at Deaton's or the old abandoned train station on the other side of town, and the loft once they'd all trusted each other a bit more. This place _was_ nice, and unexpected.

He stopped checking out of the house and looked over at Scott. Scott was frowning, which made Isaac shift uncomfortably where he stood. "What?"

"That's all you have?" Scott asked, gesturing to the duffle bag Isaac carried.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, the pack shared a lot of things, but we were always moving around, so getting attached to stuff never worked." Isaac shrugged. "I have clothes. I'm fine. But, you know, I'll start contributing to--" he waved his hand around "--here, as soon as I can. Even though Derek said you said I didn't have to, I really should. I will."

"Oh no, it's fine. No worries, really. The house is paid off. It's still my mom's, technically," Scott said, ducking his head sheepishly. "She inherited it from my grandma, but when she moved in with Stiles' dad last year she didn't want to sell it yet. So she lets me stay here. I just have to look after it and pay food and bills and stuff."

"Well, I'll help out with that," Isaac said, toeing off his boots when he saw Scott do the same with his. He followed Scott down a hallway and Scott showed Isaac around, chatting about different things about the house, and it was all superficially casual until they got upstairs.

"That's my old room. It's the spare now. That's the linen closet, bathroom and this is, uh--" Scott scratched the back of his head and looked a little bashful. It was kind of adorable, actually. "The master bedroom. Our room."

"So it is," Isaac said. He pushed past Scott confidently, his hand brushing against Scott's waist, somewhat lightly but on purpose, and went into the room. It had obviously been someone else's before -- Scott's mom, of course -- with the lightly colored walls and some semblance of decorating, but it was clearly Scott's room now. His belongings were strewn around it; a couple of novels, running shoes, a pile of work out clothes mixed in with some of his nurse scrubs, laptop and tablet, and video game consoles hooked up to the large television.

"Cool," Isaac said. He dropped his bag into the corner.

"There's space in the dresser and closet for your stuff," Scott said, coming into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, no worries," Isaac said. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair and turned to Scott. "So. Should we just get the awkward part about why I'm actually here done with?"

Scott chuckled and ducked his head, running a hand through his hair before looking up at Isaac through his eyelashes. "You make it sound like…"

"Some antiquated marriage arrangement?" Isaac said with a grin. "My pack has been calling it that for days," he added at Scott's look.

"Mine too," Scott admitted with a grin. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's… yeah. Can't say I ever thought this would happen."

Isaac sat down next to him. "Can't say I ever thought that I would turn into a werewolf. Or that I would ever be back in Beacon Hills. So I guess go with the flow and shit."

"You weren't a werewolf when you left here, were you?" 

"No. That happened a couple years later. Ran into Erica one day, she recognized me from school, and she talked to Derek and… well. Guess you know what happened next."

"You accepted the bite?"

Isaac smiled wryly. "Went with the flow and shit. Like you becoming an alpha."

Scott laughed. "Man, I never thought that would happen. Ever. It's… well, it's a lot to deal with. Just, like, the way it's changed me. And apparently other alphas don't have to deal with the same thing either, so that's… interesting."

Isaac looked at Scott steadily, assessing the way he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal, but Isaac wondered if it was an act he put on to make everyone else reassured.

"What's it like?" Isaac asked. "Being a true alpha?"

Scott shrugged again. "I don't know. Different. I'm definitely stronger. I can do different things." Scott's eyes travelled from where they'd been staring off into space, moving up Isaac before meeting his eyes. "I feel different things."

"Hornier?" Isaac said with a sly smile.

Scott smirked. "I'm a dude. That's always on the table. But… it's hard to explain. My inner wolf is more demanding, but also pickier. And it _needs_ to be satisfied. It's… oh crap," Scott said, chuckling, "I sound like a creep right now."

"Just a little," Isaac said. He bumped Scott's shoulder with his own, and that was when he felt it, just like right after the ritual -- a little thrill that moved through his body, one that wanted to be closer, become _more_.

With the way Scott swallowed, Isaac was pretty sure he felt it too.

They remained quiet for a moment, not speaking while settling into the space they now shared. Isaac decided to bring up something that had been on his mind all week. "Why me?"

"I knew it wasn't someone in my own pack. That would be… weird. And not right. Not even with my ex-girlfriend, who I was stupidly in love with once. Not anymore," he said quickly at Isaac's look, "not like that. I mean, I love Allison, but I'm not in love with her. We're friends now. And pack."

"You're not in love with me," Isaac pointed out.

"No," Scott said honestly. "I'm not."

It didn't bother Isaac at all, because he wasn't in love with Scott either. Sure, he was physically attractive and was probably the most stand-up guy Isaac had ever met, but they didn't really know each other. It wasn't a relationship. Not yet.

"So again I ask, why me? If it really was a pack alliance thing, there were other options--"

"Oh no there weren't," Scott said immediately. "I can be allied with the Hales, but I'm not… that, with any of them. Ever."

Isaac laughed. He couldn't help it. "Okay, man, I get you. They're my pack, but they're not… that. Ever."

"I could've waited," Scott said. "Deaton and Stiles both said I could, and should. It wasn't the end of the world if I didn't have a mate yet. But, I don't know, I just -- it could work with us, this arrangement."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't know that it will, I can't guarantee, but I can tell it _could_. It has a chance."

"How?" Isaac said, a little disbelievingly. All he knew was that he could get physically stronger with better werewolf powers, and also have more regular sex and with the same person for a change. He would have a place to stay, and hopefully it would feel like a home. He wasn't going to assume any more than that.

"I just can," Scott said. He shrugged and gestured at himself, grinning. "True alpha, man. I don't understand the new powers very much. I just know things. Feel them."

"And you're placing your bets on me?" Isaac said, laughing self-deprecatingly. "You might regret it if it goes bust."

"I don't want it to," Scott said. He put a hand on Isaac's knee, which made it tingle, causing Isaac's breath to catch. That little fragile bond they created earlier certainly wasn't fading yet. "So maybe I should ask," Scott said, squeezing Isaac's knee, "why are _you_ doing this? Why me?"

"You know the answer," Isaac said, shrugging. It made his arm brush up against Scott's.

Scott hummed under his breath, but didn't respond. Isaac wondered if he could read through that -- it was the truth, but maybe it wasn't everything. A chance at strength, yeah, but a chance at a normal, somewhat domestic life wasn't a bad thing either, was it?

"This is fucking weird," he mused aloud.

Scott laughed at him, his smile bright. "It really is. But not _bad_ , right?"

Isaac smiled back, feeling himself relax and gravitate more towards Scott. "Nah, not bad," he said, and leaned over to kiss his new mate for the first time.

Scott accepted the kiss with a little pleased noise, and immediately removed his hand from Isaac's knee to shift around and lean in closer. It was a sweet kiss, for a first one, not shy or timid but slow so they could get used to the feeling of each other. Scott nipped at Isaac's lower lip gently just as he pulled away.

This? This was something that Isaac could do. He was good at casual sex, just being with another person for the feel of skin against skin and the high of getting off. From what Isaac understood, that was a lot about what this was all about, especially tonight, to make the bond between them stronger. Isaac pushed away all the thoughts of pack and alliance and bonds and werewolves and just focused on what was before him -- a hot dude who looked as interested in the sex as Isaac felt.

They could totally do this.

"Come on," Isaac said, moving up the bed, and pulled off his hoodie and t-shirt. Scott followed, his t-shirt going the way of Isaac's. Scott put his hands on the bed at either side of Isaac's body and leaned over him, pressing their lips together. Isaac ran his hands over Scott's sides, then around to his back and tugged on him lightly, pulling him down so they were pressed chest to chest.

They started an honest to god make out session, taking it slow and exploring. That wasn't something Isaac had done in a really long time -- his hook ups were usually more about getting off and as quickly as possible. This was lazy and sweet, with Scott grinning when he surprised a sudden gasp out of Isaac when he found that tender spot on his neck, and Isaac chuckling when his fingertips grazed a ticklish spot that made Scott squirm. The bond between them vibrated on low, but it was warm and comforting.

He could feel the shift of it when it became something more, heady and desperate, and they both tried to press as close together as they possibly could. Scott's tongue fucked into Isaac's mouth in time with the way his erection humped against Isaac's leg. Isaac loved it, gripping Scott's ass through his jeans and trying to get him to move faster.

Scott broke their sloppy kisses and pressed his mouth against Isaac's bare shoulder. His teeth scraped Isaac's skin, but didn't break it, just seemed to be something that grounded him in place. But when Isaac bucked up, Scott growled, causing Isaac to moan.

Scott pushed himself back up on his hands, and Isaac saw the tiniest bit of red rimming his eyes. It was fading, but it'd been there, the alpha in him getting worked up. Isaac's part of the bond reached out to Scott's, almost desperate, wanting to bring it in closer, make it more a part of Isaac.

"Jesus Christ," Isaac said breathlessly, "you need to fuck me. Like, now."

Scott was already nodding. "Supplies are--" He nodded at the side table with his chin as his hands reached down to undo his belt and push off his pants.

Isaac twisted around to grab the lube and the box of condoms. When he fell back onto the bed, he looked at the box curiously, and then up at Scott.

"I'm pretty sure our lycanthropy says we're both clean, so…," Isaac said, shaking the box a little.

"I... yeah. Yeah, we're good," Scott said as he reached down to help Isaac with his belt. Isaac tossed the box down to the floor and lifted up his hips. Scott stripped away the rest of his clothes until Isaac was lying there naked, holding a bottle of lube.

Scott's eyes started to rim red again as he took in the sight of Isaac, and he licked his lips. He looked like he could devour Isaac whole, or just flip him over and take him hard. The thought sent a jolt right through Isaac's entire body.

"Have you done this before?" Isaac asked.

"Dude. I'm almost twenty-three," Scott said, grin tugging at his lips. "I've had sex."

Isaac looked Scott up and down, from his chiseled chest down to his gorgeous hard cock. "That I don't doubt."

"You don't have to chat me up, you know. I am all for this."

Isaac lightly batted Scott with the side of his leg, and Scott grinned when he let himself fall to the bed. "I know, idiot, but I meant with a guy."

Scott turned onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. His other hand reached out to touch Isaac's stomach, trail through the light hair that led from his navel to his cock. He paused before he made it all the way down.

"Fucking tease," Isaac said, head thumping back against the pillow.

Scott grinned. "I've made out with a guy before but, no, I haven't--"

"Fucked them?" Isaac asked. Scott shook his head. "Any ass play? Even with girls?"

Even more of a blush broke through on Scott's cheeks, but he shook his head again. "Not, like... no, basically."

"Okay, so I'll take care of the prep myself--"

"Talk about tease," Scott muttered, letting his hand dip down more and brush against Isaac's cock. Isaac shuddered and moaned, and Scott was suddenly pressed up against him again, growling lowly and kissing him heatedly.

"Holy fuck," Isaac said when they broke for air again, and while Scott wasn't completely wolfed out, his eyes were solid red and ravenous. "Yeah, okay, definitely working between us. Just, give me a minute here."

Worked up alpha or not, Scott took what Isaac said to heart and rolled onto his back. He took deep breaths as he stared at the ceiling. "Sorry, I just--"

"No, I totally get it," Isaac said. "Not a problem. Really not." He clicked open the bottle of lube, which immediately drew Scott's eyes to him. Isaac poured some on his fingers, rearranged himself more comfortably, and prepped himself as quickly as possible. He remained completely unabashed as Scott watched intently, even putting on a bit of a show, loving the way he heard Scott's heart speed up as he balled up the bed cover in his fists.

When he was ready, Isaac straddled Scott's hips and rode him hard. He figured it was easier this way for Scott's first time with a guy, but it certainly didn't make it any less fun. Maybe even more, when Isaac slowed down the rocking of his hips and Scott's eyes rolled back into his head while he practically begged for more, for faster. It was intoxicating. Scott's hands had a death grip on Isaac's thighs as he rolled his hips up. He ended up hitting that sweet spot just right and Isaac threw back his head and cried out as his entire body shivered, the bond between them crackling like electricity in the air.

"Holy god," Scott said, thrusting up again. "You're so... fuck, tight. I wanna feel you come while I'm in you."

Isaac still had his head back, eyes closed, but he nodded, starting to jerk himself off. It wouldn't take much, and he groaned loudly when he felt Scott's hand join his.

"Look at me," Scott grunted. "Come on, want you too."

Isaac forced himself to look at Scott, kept steady eye contact with him. Scott rolled his hips up into Isaac, enthusiastically helping jerk him off, and Isaac watched while his eyes began to fill in with red. He could feel his own wolf start to take over, wondered if his eyes were shifting just like Scott's. But it was the bond he felt, the way he could tell it was getting stronger the more that Isaac trembled at being with Scott like this. He swore he could hear echoes of Scott's mind, the way Isaac fascinated and turned Scott on, the primal need to be mated together underlying it all.

Isaac pumped down, letting himself fall fully onto Scott's cock, and came hard all over his stomach.

Even before Isaac could catch his breath, take control of his limbs again, Scott pushed himself off the bed with amazing strength until they were face to face. Isaac felt warm and sated and like he couldn't do anything to help right then, but Scott moved Isaac's legs so they could wrap around Scott's waist, and Isaac's arms clung around Scott's neck. Scott gripped Isaac's ass to move him over his cock, and they rocked in a slower unison while Isaac tried to pull himself together.

It wasn't just the slickness of their skin pressed together, the closeness of Scott sucking on Isaac's neck while he remained hard in his ass. It was their bond wrapping around them, drawing them close, a warm cocoon meant for only them.

"You feel that?" Isaac slurred into Scott's hair.

"Yeah, yeah, I do," Scott said, voice sounding tight and desperate. "I -- Isaac, I gotta--"

Faster than Isaac could've expected, he was flipped onto his back, legs pushed up so that his knees were nearly at his ears, and Scott was back in his ass. He thrust in, powerful, making them slide across the bed. Isaac braced his hands over his head against the headboard, arching his back and trying to push back against Scott, murmuring filthy things and goading Scott on. It was fast and hard, so much of what Isaac liked best, and even though he'd already come, he groaned along with Scott as he felt him come deep inside.

After Scott had finally and slowly moved off of Isaac onto the bed beside him, Isaac sighed deeply with contentment, a feeling that reverberated back through Scott without a single word.

"Holy fuck, that was exactly what--"

"The bond needed?" Scott said, a low timber of contentment in his voice. "Yeah, yeah I think so. It's definitely there now."

"To hell with the bond," Isaac said, stretching out, even though that's exactly what he meant. "It's what I needed. Haven't been fucked that good in a long time."

Scott burst out laughing. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Only made out with dudes, huh?"

"Just the one. This guy on the lacrosse team at my college."

"A jock? Nice." Isaac held out his fist to be bumped, which Scott laughed at but did anyway.

Isaac really wanted to just fall asleep right then and there, but he'd regret it when he woke up crusty and gross, so he rolled out of bed, wanting to find a bathroom.

"En-suite right there," Scott said, pointing to a door Isaac hadn't even noticed yet. Isaac nodded and went to wash up. When he returned, he found Scott hadn't moved an inch and was passed right out, not even taking a moment to clean himself. Isaac rolled his eyes but picked up one of the discarded shirts, wiping it over Scott's stomach and soft cock, and got back onto the bed without bothering to dress so that he could sleep too.

 

**

 

Morning came much too early for Isaac's liking, with Scott's alarm blaring and waking them up. Scott scrambled for it, limbs bumping into Isaac like he wasn't quite used to someone else being there.

"Sorry, sorry," Scott mumbled as he turned off the alarm. Isaac opened his eyes and saw Scott looking sheepish that he hadn't warned Isaac about the early morning wake-up. This was something they'd both have to get used to. "I'm on early shift at the hospital today."

"Okay," Isaac said. He wrapped himself tighter in the covers, really glad to be sleeping in a bed again because the floor of the loft had really sucked. He closed his eyes and burrowed his head. "See you later. I'm going back to sleep now."

"Jerk," Scott muttered without a drop of disdain behind it. He got up and went to shower.

The longer Scott was in there, the more awake Isaac felt. He also felt hungry, and like he needed a coffee really, really badly. And Isaac didn't even like coffee.

"Side effects of the bond," Isaac muttered aloud, surprised with how hard it was hitting him. It couldn't always be like this, could it? He was too unused to it to know what to do to stop it right then. "Okay. Okay, fine, I'll deal."

He got out of bed and dug through his duffle bag to pull on some sweats. He headed downstairs and fumbled through the kitchen, trying to find the coffee grounds and managed to get a pot on. He was just putting some bread into the toaster when Scott came into the kitchen. He was wearing a pair of navy nurse scrubs and looked entirely too awake for the time of day it was.

"Holy crap," Scott said, eyeing up Isaac happily. "So having a mate means having a half naked dude make me coffee in the morning? Awesome."

"Don't get used to it," Isaac said. "The first thing I'm doing is learning how to control this so you can get up and make your own coffee."

"Fair enough," Scott said easily. He got a mug out of the cabinet. "I'll help you learn that. I bet we'll have lots of stuff we didn't even think about that we'll have to work out." Scott grinned, and it was so bright it made up for the sun not even being up yet. "Go with the flow and shit, right?"

Isaac couldn't help but grin at the quote, and he poured the coffee when Scott held out his mug.

"I'm working all day," Scott said, making a face. "Pulling a double, so I'll be back later tonight. What're you up to?"

"Sleeping," Isaac said immediately. His mouth quirked into a small smile when Scott rolled his eyes. "Then meeting the pack at the loft. We need to figure things out." Isaac shrugged. "Now that we know we're staying, we need to..." Isaac tilted his head to the side and thought about how to put it. "Adjust."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here," Scott said. Isaac wondered if he meant the Hale pack, or Isaac in particular, but maybe it was just the whole situation.

"Thanks," Isaac said, head tilted down as he buttered toast, but he was smiling. "Same here."

"Good," Scott said. He nodded at the toast. "That for me?"

"Nope," Isaac said, ripping off a bite and smiling while he chewed. "Get your own."

Scott laughed at him, hip checking Isaac out of the way so he could reach into the cupboard and grab a box of cereal.

Isaac leaned against the counter and ate his piece of toast while he watched Scott move around the kitchen getting ready for his day; sipping on coffee, eating cereal, digging lunch out of the fridge. Isaac could feel that the intensity of their bond had lessened from the night before, even since first waking up, but it was a low hum in the back of his mind. He experimented with closing it off a little, making it about himself rather than him _and_ Scott, and found it much more quiet. His own tiredness started to wash back over him, but that felt right too, like it was okay he wasn't connected to Scott all the time.

Scott stopped what he was doing, and looked at Isaac with a soft smile. Pleased. Like he understood without a word having to be spoken.

It hit Isaac, right then, that he could get used to this. He could get used to Scott. Maybe they didn't love each other, not yet, but they could make this work. This might actually work. He could feel the hope of it thrum through his body with the bond, and with the gentle tapping of Scott's bond against him, just a reminder that it was still there and waiting for him.

"I have to go," Scott said, and he sounded a bit regretful for it.

"Don't worry, I understand," Isaac said, and he really did. "Have a good day."

"You too," Scott said as he grabbed his bagged lunch and headed out of the kitchen. "See you later. I'll probably be home by eight." 

A strange feeling blossomed in Isaac's stomach at the words, at the thought of _home_. Their home. He knew with everything that was in him that it was all his own feeling and had nothing to do with a bond.

Peace. Contentment. _Settled_. 

It was about damn time.


End file.
